The love that never came
by SaladUchihaOfTheSharingan
Summary: It's about Ino... and Temari... and Shikamaru... and I guess Sal— I mean Sai too. I dont really know who I want to be paired up with who yet, but I guess we'll find out in the end! This is something I plan to write when I want, so I won't post chapters often. I'm planning on making MANY chapters so you'll have to wait a lot if you want to read all of it (sorry). Have fun reading!


Chapter 1: The annual Sand gala

"I'm here, you're there. I thought… that it wouldn't always stay like this. That we'd grow up in a happy family, after old age hit us and we couldn't work as shinobi for the village anymore. But, she came, and she took you away from a fate that I could've had…. With you, Shikamaru. Signed: Ino Yamanaka." Read a teenage blond ninja out loud to her friends.

"I was weird when I was younger…" She thought out loud. A boy sat across her, staring with a slight blush. His spiky black hair was pulled in a spiky high ponytail that for some reason, always stood up and had dark black eyes.

"Um.. Shikamaru?" Ino said waving her hand over his face to get his attention. "Right I uh.. let's get back to sorting through our team's stuff." Ordered Shikamaru, grabbing another box that was on top of a shelf. It was their team leader's funeral. They were looking through personal belongings so that they could put something on Asuma's grave.

"Man, you guys are hopeless." Said another teammate, Choji Akimichi, a round man so to say and who loved to eat."Just get together already! It's what Asuma sensei would have wante.." he said eating a potato chip.

Both Ino and Shikamaru blushed instantly. Ino took another box. She looked down. "You're crazy Choji… me and Shikamaru? D-don't make me laugh! He already has Temari and they're a great couple…. Plus, I don't even Iike him!" Explained Ino. Even though she was pretty good at lying, her friends could tell she wasn't telling the truth.

She got up. "I'm gonna go to the.. bathroom." She said while leaving the room. "Ino wait!" Cried Shikamaru.

While Ino was passing by the hallway, another teenage ninja was passing there too. On her way to see Shikamaru.

"Oh. Hey Temari…." Said Ino still a bit flustered from before. "Hey Ino, do you know where–" started Temari "He's in the storage room with Choji. Left, right, right, second door to your left." Cut off Ino. "Thanks!" Exclaimed Temari but, Ino was already gone too embarrassed to face her.

"You have to make a choice." Said Choji to his troubled friend. "But, how? Even though I'm dating Temari I still want to be with Ino!" Complained Shikamaru. "Well.. how about you name their good qualities and bad qualities and see who has the most of what? Let's start with Ino." Suggested Choji.

From the crack of the door Temari the blond sand shinobi stood ear to door, listening to every word that came out of Shikamaru's mouth.

"Well she's… the most beautiful person I've ever seen, she's so cute when she's mad, she makes me smile when we talk, she's got wits, she's got power and I can't imagine my life without her."

Temari looked lovingly at him through the door, he was so nice and sweet. But, suddenly anger raged through her. What was she thinking? Those compliments weren't for her. But, for another girl.

Choji choked on his food."Well that's deep." Shikamaru looked away. "So how about Temari's pros?" Asked his friend. Shikamaru thought, and Temari waited in anticipation for his response.

"Well.." he started. "She's pretty, she's fun to laugh with, to make fun of I guess. She's really strong, brave and cool. She's especially just fun to hang out around. You know?" He confessed. Temari smiled. Looks like she hasn't lost her boyfriend… yet, At least.

"Yeah, I don't know since girls aren't really a goal for me. Unless they know how to cook of course." Replied Choji.

Temari waited as they continued to talk so that she could listen to her cons. But, then she remembered why she was there and started to walk back. Then forward to make it sound like she just arrived.

Shikamaru and Choji suddenly stopped talking about their previous conversation topic when they heard a creak come from the door. To their surprise it was Temari.

"T-Temari" Shikamaru stuttered. "What are you doing here?" He finished. Temari frowned. "I would've thought that my boyfriend would be happy that I visited him. Guess there wasn't any point of me coming here." She said in a cold voice. "No way, I didn't mean it like that… it's great to see you, how was your trip from the Sa—". "I actually came here for other reasons." She said cutting him off. "I was coming to ask you if you wanted to go to the annual ball of the Sand Village with me. As my date." Temari continued. "That's a thing?" Wondered Choji, surprised. No one in the leaf village has ever heard of that event before, so his reaction made sense.

"The Sand Gala. It's an event that our village had celebrated to announce the fact that we've been able to survive yet another year in a village we made in a desert. It used to be so much fun. But, since all the events, wars and problems that your village seems to bring happen so often, this will be the first time we celebrate it in 4 years." Temari explained. "Oh, sorry about that." Apologized Choji.

"So, will you come..?" The girl asked. For some reason she looked different. Instead of being harsh and sassy, her eyes were filled with hope and sweetness. Suddenly, the door opened and Ino came in.

"Um, hey. Wrong moment right?" Ino mumbled. "No, Why would you say that? All I was doing was asking Shikamaru if he wanted to go somewhere with me. You know, as my date." Temari replied, obviously still a bit jealous from Ino's pros earlier.

"Oh." She whispered. For a moment there was an awkward silence. Well, almost since you could hear loud crunches coming from Choji.

"So, this ball…" Shikamaru started. "Do you think maybe Ino… and Choji, could come too?" He asked. "Oh! I've never thought of them as a couple, but that'd be cute. I guess I can sneak them in somehow." She replied. Choji and Ino looked at eachother, then started to laugh. They could both agree that they would never become an item. Never. So the subject was more of a joke to them. Temari just stared at them as if she had said something wrong and Shikamaru put his hand on her shoulder with a little chuckle to show that he didn't mean at all that they were coming to the gala as a couple. Temari turned a bit red with her mistake. "Oops" she murmured.

"So what day is the ball gonna be?" Asked Choji. "6 days from now…" Temari responded. "What?!" The three Leaf shinobi yelled in unison. Temari looked down. "Well, I thought Shikamaru was the only one that was gonna come and… I thought 4 days of travel and one to relax before the ball!" She explained. "But, how am I ever gonna get a beautiful dress in time?!" Complained Ino. "I'm sure Temari can help you with that and—" Shikamaru stopped. He was about to say and you'll look amazing no matter what dress you wear. But, that seemed a bit awkward to say with the current situation so he didn't add anything else. Actually he didn't have the time, Temari practically jumped to the offer of helping with Ino's outfit as if she would get something out of it. In her head of course, she would. Her prize would be Shikamaru seeing how nice she could be to others… even Ino who could've been her best friend if in the past they didn't have the same crush on a so called genius. "That'll be great!" She shouted joyfully. She was a girl of style like Ino, so this might be a bit fun she thought. Ino and Temari started talking about the subject, clearly competing to be the one leading the conversation. "Ahem." Choji tapped their shoulders and both blondes turned their heads his way. "What about us?" He wondered feeling excluded. "You don't expect us to go to the gala wearing… wearing this!" He pointed to his ninja uniform and then Shikamaru's. Shikamaru took a gray sweatshirt from one of the boxes and held it over himself so that the girls could vision it as an outfit for the ball. "What do You think?" He said with a grin. Temari just stared at him while Ino slapped her forehead. "What an idiot…" He thought he heard Ino whisper. "You are right Choji…" Temari answered. Choji smiled, now feeling included. The girls then started babbling about the new subject. "I'll have to find a tailor to make some suits!" Temari thought out loud. "Wouldn't it be cheaper to rent one?" Ino wondered. "No way we can trust cheap already used suits! Let's make sure to get a great tailor—" Temari complained. "Tailor shmailor. They charge around 3 000 000 Ryo! We'll simply have to make them ourselves!" Reasoned Ino. They felt a tap on their shoulders once again and both turned. "Are you sure you girls can make suits? You are shinobi after all! Not seamstress'!" Choji asked worriedly. "Choji, how do you think that my clothes are always perfect after missions where they get ripped and destroyed? Because I'm a shinobi, I've been forced to learn how to sew stuff up. When they get completely destroyed, I make new ones. I'm guessing it's the same for Temari." Told Ino. "Well actually…" Temari muttered with an embarrassed face. "I wouldn't be aloud to do anything to my clothing. Instead, when I'd get enough money, I'd get a new outfit. It's the way things worked. If I got rips and cuts in my clothing, they'd stay until I could get more money for a new outfit, so that I'd train harder. Because, the more I trained, the more I could defend myself and the less ruined my clothing would be. It's a type of "training" I had." Temari looked at Ino. She was completely speechless. "How could they do that!" Were the only words that came out of Ino's mouth. "I mean—" Shikamaru interrupted her. "We're getting off the main subject. For now we should go pack and get ready for the trip. Then, when we get to the Sand, we'll put our things at an inn and get prepared for the Gala." He ordered. Temari got up. "Yes, you should get ready. I'll be preparing my things so we can leave tonight." Said Temari leaving. On her thoughts were what Shikamaru said before. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen, she's so cute when she's mad, she makes me smile when we talk, she's got wits, she's got power and I can't imagine my life without her." Those words that were meant for someone other than her. The words that had feelings which Temari never knew of. Well, Shikamaru darling, Temari thought. You're going to see how much Ino is the opposite of what you said. "We should get going too." Said Choji. And with that, the team left, imagining the days ahead, unaware of what the Sand shinobi would be doing the next few , Temari was planning something. Something that would change Shikamaru's view on Ino forever.

In room 23, floor 2 of Konohagakure's main hotel was Temari laying on her bed after finishing all of her packing. Everything seems in place, she thought. All though I'd like to have a bit of time with Shikamaru myself on the trip… Choji won't be enough of a distraction shoo her away from us. What if I invited someone else? Sakura maybe? No… not her… I heard she's away on a trip or something. Hm… wasn't there this other guy she liked? Sa-, Sal, Sui or something? That guy that likes to paint. He should be a good distraction and Choji should be distracted by food, so I'll get to relax alone with Shikamaru for a bit. She got up with a hopeful look in her eyes. Great! Now I just need to invite the painter guy and we can leave by 6:00.


End file.
